Gender & Color Id on odd little 14 week old Easter Egger

[junebuggena]

All pullets.
And for Easter Egger heritage, think about it logically. If the hatcheries really had Ameraucana or Araucana, why would they be selling 'mixed' breeds under the same label, for about the same price as their other breeds? Why wouldn't they just cash in and sell the 'pure' rare birds for more money? The reason is, they don't have Ameraucana or Araucana, and they never have. They have only ever had Easter Eggers. You have to keep in mind, until the Ameraucana and Araucana breeds were recognized in the 1970s, there were no Araucana/Ameraucana/Easter Egger distinctions made. They were all called Araucana, but the birds mostly resembled what we consider Easter Eggers. Hatcheries have been breeding from stock that was acquired back in the early 1900s, long before any sort of standard was in place. Hatcheries simply never bothered to update their marketing or breeding programs to reflect the recognition of the Ameraucana and Araucana breeds. They just kept doing the same thing they have always done, and it has resulted in a massive amount of confusion.

 

[IsaacK]

That does make some sense, though I sweat one of the hatcheries websites listed EE's and Araucanas as separate breeds, with the later being much more expensive. Do you have any pictures of a rooster around the same age? I really would like to be able to tell the difference. I thought the beginning of the curving on this chickens tail feather, and the darker red comb, gave it away as a rooster. Same with one of my blues. If I breed EE to EE, will the offspring lay colored eggs? What if they are bred to brown eggs layers? Any way to get them to lay blue eggs, or do I need a different breed for that? Thanks.

 

[junebuggena]

There is not a single hatchery that has Araucana. There are only 3 hatcheries (Cackle, Meyer, and MyPetChicken.com) that have Ameraucana, and they always specify the color/variety, and they label their Easter Eggers as Easter Eggers. All others are selling mislabeled Easter Eggers.
And since you asked, here are some Easter Egger cockerels at varying ages. There are two traits that most cockerels tend to exhibit by 8 weeks old. The first is comb development. Most boys are bright red in the comb by 8 weeks. The second is patchy coloring, specifically through the wing/shoulder area.

Easter Egger cockerel at about 8 weeks old. See the dark red patches on through the shoulder/wing area? This almost always indicates male.

Two cockerels, also about 8 weeks old. Notice their patchy coloring.

This one is about 13 weeks old. See the darker shading on his wing/shoulder area.

Another cockerel with dark red patches, about 11 weeks old.

Patchy cockerel on the right. About 13 weeks old. The pullet on the left is the same age. Notice her uniform color/pattern and small, pale comb.

A barred Easter Egger cockerel, about 13 weeks old. You can just make out some pointed saddle feathers near the base of the tail. Also, see his random splashes of color.

This one is only 4 weeks old, and you can see his red patches already.
I'm working on an Easter Egger breeding project, can you tell...

 

[drumstick diva]

agree with junebuggena's posts

 

[IsaacK]

...The second is patchy coloring, specifically through the wing/shoulder area....

Is it possible, or have you ever seen, an all white EE Rooster? Also, any idea how these are sexed at the hatcheries or how accurate the method is? Thanks.

 

[junebuggena]

Yes, Easter Agrees can be solid white. Hatchery vent sexing is about 90% accurate, but that really depends on the person doing the sexing.

 

[IsaacK]

Yes, Easter Agrees can be solid white. Hatchery vent sexing is about 90% accurate, but that really depends on the person doing the sexing.

Yes, we had one, but what is the possibility it would be a rooster? No patchy coloring, just solid white. Its a poor picture, but this is when it was also around 14 weeks.

 

[junebuggena]

You can still identify gender by comb development, and then the appearance of male specific feathering. It can be very difficult to get good, crisp photos that show the detail of the feathers well enough on white birds.

 

[IsaacK]

Hello and thanks to all that have commented... I wanted to provide a few updates. This lovely chicken still has no spurs, has not crowed, and has laid no eggs. Still unsure of gender, but it does seem to have more tail curl since they began replacing feathers. He or she was bought at Rural King, and I found out it came from Townline hatchery which said these chicks are Araucana-Ameraucana Line. Without further adieu, here are some pictures taken today. Thanks again, hope you enjoy the update. K.

 

[Wilebaum]

Hello and thanks to all that have commented... I wanted to provide a few updates. This lovely chicken still has no spurs, has not crowed, and has laid no eggs. Still unsure of gender, but it does seem to have more tail curl since they began replacing feathers. He or she was bought at Rural King, and I found out it came from Townline hatchery which said these chicks are Araucana-Ameraucana Line. Without further adieu, here are some pictures taken today. Thanks again, hope you enjoy the update. K.

Looks like a pullet, she's not laying eggs someplace hidden by chance?